Китаи

Old East Slavic

Etymology

From a Turkic source (most likely Kipchak), ultimately from Old Turkic 𐰶𐰃𐱃𐰪 (Qïtań), from Khitan 𘱿𘲫 (*qid ún, “Khitan”), the Mongolic people who ruled Manchuria, then Northern China, then Central Asia from the 9th to 13th centuries. More at Cathay. First attested between 1402 and 1408 in a list of cities and regions conquered by Tamerlane

Pronunciation

• (ca. 9^th CE) IPA^(key): /kiˈtɑjɪ/
• (ca. 11^th CE) IPA^(key): /kiˈtajɪ/
• (ca. 13^th CE) IPA^(key): /kiˈtaj/

Proper noun

Китаи (Kitai) m

1. Qara Khitai people
   • between 1402 and 1408, The Tale of Temir Aksak :

     А се имена тѣмъ землямъ и тѣмъ цесарствомъ, еже бѣ попленилъ Темирь Аксакъ: Чагадай, Хорусании, Голустаини, Китай, Синяя Орда...

     A se imena těmŭ zemljamŭ i těmŭ cesarstvomŭ, eže bě poplenilŭ Temirĭ Aksakŭ: Čagadaj, Xorusanii, Golustaini, Kitaj, Sinjaja Orda...

     And here are the names of the lands and kingdoms that Temir Aksak conquered: Chagatai, Khorasan, Gulustan, Khitai, Blue Horde...

2. Cathay, medieval northern China as reached by the overland Silk Road to Xi'an or Beijing (a region of East Asia)
   • between 1468 and 1474, Afanasy Nikitin, A Journey Beyond the Three Seas :

     А от Дабыля до Келекота 25 дни, а от Келекота до Силяна 15 дни, а от Силяна до Шаибата мѣсяць итти, а от Шаибата до Певгу 20 дни, а от Певгу до Чини да до Мачина мѣсяць итти, морем все то хожение. А от Чини до Китаа итти сухом 6 мѣсяць, а морем 4 дни итти...

     A ot Dabylja do Kelekota 25 dni, a ot Kelekota do Siljana 15 dni, a ot Siljana do Šaibata měsjacĭ itti, a ot Šaibata do Pevgu 20 dni, a ot Pevgu do Čini da do Mačina měsjacĭ itti, morem vse to xoženie. A ot Čini do Kitaa itti suxom 6 měsjacĭ, a morem 4 dni itti...

     A journey from Dabhol to Calicut (Kozhikode) takes 25 days, and from Calicut to Ceylon it takes 15 days, and from Ceylon to Shaibat (an unidentified location) it's a month's journey, and from Shaibat to Bago it takes 20 days, and from Bago to Chin and Machin (see چین و ماچین) it takes another month — all that way by sea. And from Chin and Machin to Cathay it takes six months to travel by land, and four days to travel by sea...

Descendants

• Belarusian: Кіта́й (Kitáj)
• Russian: Кита́й (Kitáj)
  • → Adyghe: Китай (Kitaj)
  • → Livvi: Kitai
  • → Veps: Kitai
  • → Yakut: Китай (Kitay)
• Carpathian Rusyn: Кіта́й (Kitáj)
• Ukrainian: Кита́й (Kytáj)